Lambeth Council has launched a new fostering campaign to reach more people as part of Foster Care Fortnight. The new Be The Difference campaign video features quotes from local children and young people sharing some of the things their carers do to make a difference in their lives.
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An internationally renowned ballet dancer has been convicted of sexually assaulting four former teenage students. Ex-English National Ballet principal dancer Yat-Sen Chang, 49, was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault and one count of assault by penetration following a trial at Isleworth Crown Court yesterday.
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South London boasts half of London’s best boroughs to buy a ‘forever home’ in, a new study has found. The research carried out by Bequests reviewed the average number of years homeowners stayed at their property, the average price and size of houses, 10-year value change, the quality of nearby schools, crime levels and the number of GPs in the area.
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A charity has launched a Crowdfunder to help refugees across Lewisham get work. Refugee Café, which is run by local residents, half of whom have been refugees themselves, are crowdfunding to launch a cafe to help out-of-work refugees find jobs and provide affordable, healthy food in the heart of Lewisham.
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There have been unconfirmed reports that Croydon Council-owned developer Brick by Brick could be sold off to Manchester-based company Urban Splash. But the council would not comment on the claims made by trade magazine Property Week last week. The magazine reported that if the deal goes ahead the company would buy all of Brick by Brick’s existing assets and development pipeline.
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Rescuers are attempting to catch a whale that has become stranded for a second time in the River Thames. Firefighters and RNLI teams were called to assist in rescuing of a minke whale at Richmond Lock and Weir in Richmond. The minke whale measured four to six metres in length and was stranded on a concrete slipway.
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Lewisham Council has contacted the police after signage and a bollard within its Lee Green LTN were vandalised. Recently installed signage approaching the Dermody Road partial road block was targeted – it reads “entry to Dermody Road restricted 60 yards ahead”, but the restricted part was painted over.
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Outdoor swimming is a trend that just won’t go away, writes Lottie Kilraine. It could be the health benefits, such as better blood circulation, improved sleep and smoother skin, or the feeling of freedom you get while paddling away under an open sky. But whatever it is, with restrictions easing and summer just around the corner, it’s a great time to get out into the water.
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A salvaged furniture shop in Lewisham has applied to sell alcohol seven days a week, concerning some nearby residents. Aladdin’s Cave, which offers a host of reclaimed items, has a yard at the back its owners want to use for a bar, seated area, and craft and food stalls.
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A 10-year-old cancer patient’s campaign to get potentially life-saving treatment abroad has been backed by a plumbing franchise. Pimlico Plumbers has pledged to donating £1 from every job it completes to help fund vital cancer treatment for Chloe Balloqui.
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The charitable foundation of a 95-year-old millionaire philanthropist has awarded over 200,000 achievement awards to young people, finds an independent study. Bean Research conducted the study of the Jack Petchey Foundation, which was founded by Sir Jack Petchey in 1999, to celebrate the foundation’s 21st birthday.
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The Met Police have said they are ‘not complacent’ after a spate of attempted child abductions in Bromley. An 11-year-old boy was approached on Whitmore Road by a man in a black van who asked him if he wanted a lift, while an 8-year-old boy was reportedly approached in the wooded area of Kelsey Park.
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Council meetings will once again be held in-person, after the pandemic forced town halls to move their meetings online. The change is happening because emergency legislation that allowed council to host public meetings remotely expired on May 6. Judges have ruled that a new law would have to be voted on by MPs for UK council’s to continue to hold meetings entirely online.
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An unathletic six-man team ran 1000km last month to fundraise for a local charity as it turns 160 this year. £1,444.81 was raised for British Home, a neuro-disability charity in Streaham. The money was then matched by the organiser and so the total amount of money going to the charity is £2889.62.
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Some people like to paint the town red.
But artist Lionel Stanhope is painting his Camberwell neighbourhood black and white. A new mural of a piano keyboard appeared in Camberwell over the Bank Holiday weekend as part of a project to boost interest and pride in the area. The musical mural adorns the wall of 36 to 38 Peckham Road and was inspired by the building’s history as a piano factory.
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Labour’s Liza Begum has won the Westminster Council by-election in Churchill ward, Pimlico. Her victory with a 324 vote majority means that Labour retains the seat, after a more closely fought race with the Conservatives at the 2018 council elections.
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Sadiq Khan currently has a narrow lead over Shaun Bailey in the early stages of the race to become Mayor of London. While some opinion polls had predicted that Sadiq Khan would win comfortably on first preference votes alone, he is currently separated from his Conservative rival by only one per cent.
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A caretaker who didn’t open his curtains for eight years after suffering from depression is urging others to ‘open up’ about their mental health issues. Alex Cooper, from Peckham, had suffered with his mental health for nearly two decades after the death of his mother. Just weeks into a new job, he opened up to his manager about his struggles and says he received so much support that he was inspired to do the same for his colleagues.
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A serving Met police officer has been dismissed for using racist names while playing an online football game. Detective Sergeant Neil Buckmaster, attached to the South Area Command Unit, breached the standards of professional behaviour in respect of ‘equality and diversity’, and ‘authority, respect and courtesy’.
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